


I see children's names

by foulrescent



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: (sort of), Baby Names, Coming Out, Smoking, beginning of howard and bucky's friendship but then
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 15:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6121066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foulrescent/pseuds/foulrescent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, I quite like ‘Tony’. It has the same amount of syllables as ‘Bucky’. See, Tony and Bucky, Bucky and Tony. Father and son and shit. ‘Anthony’ to make—“ to make Steve happy, because the stupid lug doesn’t believe that nicknames should be printed on a birth certificate, “my ma happy. She’s gotta have a full name to use when yelling, you know?”</p><p>Howard scoffs, “That’s a shit name. It’s too overused.”</p><p>(Bucky talks baby names with Howard and the bastard steals one)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I see children's names

**Author's Note:**

> \- Title modified from a line from Troye Sivan's 'FOOLS'  
> \- To make this more painful it's set, like, a day or two or a week before the train.  
> \- Just. i needed bucky and howard to have some sort of thing  
> \- All mistakes are my own.

“What would you name your kid?” Bucky asks, out of the blue. He supposes that witnessing a Jew give birth in a church, in the east of Poland, yesterday, influenced the thought. She was contemplating names for her boy. She looked down at her baby, looked up at her heroic saviour and asked for his name.

“Steve,” Steve answered at the same time Bucky replied, “Stevie.”

She decided, “Stevie," much to Steve's small protest. 

It still isn’t an excuse to ask that damn question to Howard, however. Bucky grimaces as soon as it comes out of his mouth. He just happens to be in Stark’s lab when it does, waiting for Steve. It's not even justifiable thought to have, as Bucky probably won't be able to make it through the war, but Howard, someone like Howard, probably will get through without being at the end of the barrel of a gun (unless he does something to piss of Phillips). He doesn't bother saying any of this out loud. Steve would sock him. 

“What the fuck,” Howard snaps his goggles on his forehead, one of the scientists startle, “Are you gonna be a daddy? How’s that—“

“God, no,” Bucky stresses.

“Then, what the fuck?”

“It’s just a question, pal.” Bucky shrugs and then puts two fingers to his lips like he’s going to take a drag of his cigarette, but he doesn’t have one. He rubs the tips of his fingers together. “Forget ‘bout it.”

“No, no, no. Let me think.” Howard pops a metal piece into a test tube full of blue liquid and then leans against the bench, arms crossed and pouting, like he’s deep in thought.

Bucky takes opportunity of the interest. “Well, I quite like ‘Tony’. It has the same amount of syllables as ‘Bucky’. See, Tony and Bucky, Bucky and Tony. Father and son and shit. ‘Anthony’ to make—“ _to make Steve happy_ , because the stupid lug doesn’t believe that nicknames should be printed on a birth certificate, “my ma happy. She’s gotta have a full name to use when yelling, you know?”

Howard scoffs, “That’s a shit name. It’s too overused.”

“Your name’s fucking ‘Howard’.”

“Aye, did I name myself?” Howard lights a cigarette, waves his hand around. He ignores one of the scientists, who’s trying to indicate to him to put it out, that's working on the other side of the lab. “I think your kid should have a unique name and an even stupider nickname. I mean, if you had a girl I’d expect her to be named ‘Rikki’ of ‘Nikki’ or…your boy would be ‘Cherry’, from ‘Charlie’. See, weird.”

“You just complimented and insulted me at the same time, _Howie_.”

“I’m this close,” Howard pinches his fingers, “to kicking you out, but I’m rather enjoying this conversation.”

Bucky grins. “How do you get ‘Cherry’ from ‘Charlie’?”

“How the fuck do you get ‘Bucky’ from ‘James’?”

“Buchanan, actually.”

“Still, _how_?”

Bucky reaches out. Howard tucks the cigarette between Bucky’s fingers. He takes a nice, long drag and then inhales out the open window. “How about Jerry?”

“I think you should just stick with ‘Tony’,” Howard tells him, shaking his head. He rolls his eyes and snatches back the cigarette. “You’re awful at names, but I didn’t really expect much from someone that responds to a dog name.”

“Gee, thanks.” Bucky drums his fingers on his thigh. "How about 'Becky'?"

“How about ‘Mickey’?”

Bucky taps his tongue with the base of his finger, smoothes a loose strand of hair back and hums, “Mickey the Mouse, though.”

“It’s better than fucking ‘Tony’.”

“You know what? You name your kid ‘Mickey’,” Bucky huffs and then reaches out for the cigarette, but Howard waves his hand in every direction. Bucky glances at the door, facing the hallway, and sees people spilling out of the meeting room. When he sees Steve’s broad shoulders, he breathes out, “Thank fuck.”

Howard notices Steve. “Hey, I’m good company.”

“Sure. Hey, Stevie!”

Steve’s head perks up and he grins, and it’s a big, toothy one. He stalks towards the lab, excusing himself from a general that tries to speak with him when he’s walking down. Bucky snorts and then snatches the cigarette out of Howard’s mouth, popping it in his own.

“Aye, dick,” Howard swears.

“’Dicky’, from Richard,” Bucky contemplates and then breathes out heavily through his nose. Steve is standing in the doorway, shoulders straight and chest out. Bucky winks at him and Steve clear his throat.

“Stark, Bucky,” Steve greets, giving Howard a stern nod and then a subtle blink towards Bucky. He keeps his gaze on Bucky. “Guess where we’re heading next.”

“Another Nazi mansion in France?” Bucky snorts and then passes the cigarette to Howard, who takes it wordlessly. 

“HYDRA in the Alps,” Steve tells him.

He already feels his toes burn off with the chill. “Do they want us to get fucking frostbite?”

Steve shrugs, gives a look that gets interpreted as, _what can you do_? He steps further into the hallway. “Come on, let’s get some dinner. Stark, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. We’re scheduled in for—“

“Yup. My assistant has it down. Hey, you guys enjoy dinner,” Howard says a little knowingly, like something has been revealed to him.

Bucky pushes himself off the bench he’s leaning on and watches Steve start to walk away. He wipes at his eyes. It’s been a long day. They flew in from Poland during the night. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you next time there’s a meeting.” He thinks about persuading Steve to just drop by the kitchens and feed him in bed.

Howard suddenly grabs Bucky’s forearm, pulling him closer. He says lowly, “I think ‘Mickey’ will really suit. I mean, listen, Bucky, _Stevie_ , Mickey and, I don’t know… ‘Tony’ if you fucking want.”

His breath hitches. He squints his eyes. Howard’s grip is tight, but it’s loose enough to not bruise, so it’s not a threatening hold. He dabs at his bottom lip with his tongue and makes sure not to look everywhere but Howard. He trains his eyes one of the scientists that’s fanning the flaming test tube that Howard had been working on.

“I don’t—“ He starts to say.

“He stares at your lips too much. You call him ‘Stevie’. Hey, let’s go out for drinks after the Alps. You, me, Rogers and the Commandos, all together. How about it?”

Bucky steps away from Howard, making sure to do it slowly. He doesn’t want to look like he’s being scared away. Howard is smiling at him, oddly, with encouragement. “Sure,” he decides and then looks back at Steve, who’s speaking to a soldier, “I…”

“There’s no need to be shy. Your secret’s safe with me, pal. Go get your guy. Tell him about your shitty names.”

“Howard,” Bucky breathes in sharply and then gives a small smile. It spreads hesitantly across his face. “Thank you. You’re a champ.”

“Fuck off, Jimmy.”

 

 

 

 

“Howard fucking _stole_  my baby name!" 

"You were dead, Buck."

"He stole from a  _dead man_!"

 

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS FOR READING XXXXXX
> 
> (come say 'hi' @ foulrescent.tumblr.com)


End file.
